My husband and I decided we were going to church on Sunday. We always try to make a habit of going to church, but sometimes life has exhausted us too much where we don't even hear our alarm clocks in the morning. I woke up late, our blessings were grumpy, and my husband had not slept well the night before. He wanted to leave at 9:00 AM, and I had woken up at 8:30 AM. Cue the frenzied-freakout trying to get everyone ready and out the door to church. Screaming, crying, and a few tantrums later, we arrive at church. A half-hour early for the service because we mistook the time. My husband and I sat and talked to each other while our little man looked at books, and baby drooled all over my dress. When the service started, baby decided it would be a great time to dirty her diaper, so off to the bathroom we go, baby in one arm and diapers and wipes in the other. I open the door and see another mother at the diaper changing table going through the same thing I was about to go through with my child except her child had completed ruined her church clothes. Her older daughter was bouncing around the bathroom chattering away about her dress while washing her hands. The woman turned around when she heard me open the door, and the most beautiful smile crossed her face. I walked in, and we struck up a conversation. The whole time we talked, her baby was screaming, and her daughter was trying to talk to both of us at the same time. Throughout our whole conversation, the woman never yelled or raised her voice or showed any frustration or anger. She exuded this air of patience and peace. She knew, even in the midst of going to church, that her children were the most important work of her life. That her ministry did not exist within the walls of the church but within the hearts of her children. Yes, church was important to her. Otherwise, she would not be there with her family, but she carried herself in a way that showed everyone around her that the children she had brought into the world were of the utmost importance. She showed me all of that with a diaper change.
Once I had changed baby's diaper, I scooped her up and headed back into the sanctuary for the rest of the service. So impacted by what I had just seen, I quickly began to regale my husband of absolutely every little detail of the experience I had just been a part of. Bless his heart for being as patient as he is!
So, to the momma in the church bathroom, thank you for teaching me once again that my children are not AN important work but THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK.
Comments